‏ Psalms 138

Summary for Ps 138:1-145:21: Pss 138–145  ^a In this final collection of psalms of David, praise and wisdom psalms (Pss 138–139  ^b, 145  ^c) form a frame around five poems of lament (Pss 140–144  ^d).
Summary for Ps 138:1-8: Ps 138  ^e In this wisdom psalm, the Lord is presented as the God of gods. He rescued his people and has a perfect plan for them as individuals. The nations will join Israel in glorifying God.
Summary for Ps 138:1-3: 138:1-3  ^f The Lord receives praise before the gods of the nations.
Summary for Ps 138:4-5: 138:4-5  ^g As the Lord’s glory fills the earth, the world’s population must willingly submit to him. Every king (cp. Ps 2  ^h) will join the community of praise as they hear the Lord’s ways of truth and love.
Summary for Ps 138:6-8: 138:6-8  ⁱ The exalted God takes care of the humble (138:6  ^j), especially his servant the psalmist (138:7-8  ^k). 138:6  ^l God’s holiness and excellence are great, beyond the scope of humanity (see 99:2  ^m; 113:4  ⁿ; Isa 6:1  ^o; 57:15  ^p).
138:8  ^q The psalmist expresses confidence in the Lord’s plans, which are perfect, and prays for God’s continued involvement. The psalmist sees himself as part of God’s plans (see 9:10  ^r; 139:14  ^s).

‏ Psalms 139

Summary for Ps 139:1-24: Ps 139  ^t In this wisdom psalm, the psalmist opens every aspect of his being, character, behavior, and speech to God’s examination. As hard as life is, he wants to ensure his own growth in wisdom so that he does not come under God’s judgment of the wicked (141:5  ^u; 142:3  ^v; 143:8  ^w, 10  ^x; 144:3-4  ^y). Further, the poet recognizes that he cannot escape from the Lord. His sense of stress disappears when he considers the Lord’s loving care for him, even before birth (139:13-18  ^z). He then invites the Lord to continue examining him as he walks in the path of wisdom (139:23-24  ^aa).
Summary for Ps 139:1-6: 139:1-6  ^ab The Lord knows the psalmist well; God has examined him thoroughly, in an inescapable examination that is painful at times (Job 7:17-19  ^ac).
139:2  ^ad The phrase sit down or stand up refers to daily activities (cp. Deut 6:6-9  ^ae).
Summary for Ps 139:3-6: 139:3-6  ^af The Lord’s omniscience and omnipotence provide comfort to the godly, but they imprison the hearts of the wicked (2:3  ^ag).
139:6  ^ah The Lord’s wonderful understanding lies beyond the psalmist’s ability to comprehend (see Judg 13:18  ^ai).
Summary for Ps 139:7-12: 139:7-12  ^aj The psalmist expresses his awe at the Lord’s omnipresence.
139:8  ^ak down to the grave: God has total access to his entire creation—even the most hard-to-reach places.
139:9  ^al ride the wings of the morning: This poetic expression describes traveling eastward, as far as the sunrise, if that were possible.

• the farthest oceans: This expression takes the traveler in the opposite direction, far to the west.
139:13  ^am The delicate, inner parts of the body include a person’s very being.

• Even when hidden in his mother’s womb, the psalmist was guided by the Lord.
139:17  ^an How precious are your thoughts about me: God’s investigation reveals loving care. Fellowship with the Lord provides riches beyond description.
Summary for Ps 139:19-24: 139:19-24  ^ao The psalmist’s sense of awe leads him to consider the wicked and to reflect on himself. The Lord, as the examiner of all people, judges the wicked for their destructive acts and speech; thus, the psalmist prays that he will not be among them.
139:21  ^ap I hate: Rejection of evil is a mark of wisdom (see 1:1  ^aq; 5:4-6  ^ar).
Summary for Ps 139:23-24: 139:23-24  ^as The psalmist’s prayer against the wicked leads him also to reflect on himself; he does not presume that he is righteous. This prayer has been repeated by believers over the centuries.
139:24  ^at The path of wisdom leads to everlasting life (see 1:6  ^au; Prov 4:18  ^av; 6:23  ^aw).

‏ Psalms 140

Summary for Ps 140:1-13: Ps 140  ^ax In this individual lament, the psalmist artistically sketches God’s enemies with all their evil intents. He prays for the Lord’s protection and rescue with confidence in God’s strength and justice. He foresees the evil as being judged by fire (140:9-11  ^ay) and himself as being vindicated and dwelling in the Lord’s presence (140:13  ^az).
Summary for Ps 140:1-3: 140:1-3  ^ba The psalmist prays for the Lord to rescue him from wicked people.
140:3  ^bb sting like a snake ... a viper: These creatures depict the wicked as very corrupt people (see Prov 23:32  ^bc; Isa 14:29  ^bd; Rom 3:13  ^be).
Summary for Ps 140:4-5: 140:4-5  ^bf The psalmist asks for divine protection (see Ps 121  ^bg), praying that the Lord will keep him safe from the many schemes of the wicked.
140:7  ^bh The expression Sovereign Lord comes from combining the name Yahweh with the title Adonai (Master). See also 68:20  ^bi; 69:6  ^bj; 71:16  ^bk; 73:28  ^bl; 109:21  ^bm; 141:8  ^bn.
Summary for Ps 140:9-11: 140:9-11  ^bo The psalmist prays for God’s judgment on the wicked.
140:10  ^bp The psalmist wants fire to descend on his enemies, and he wants them thrown into pits so they can never attack again. The language foreshadows the New Testament teaching on hell (Matt 5:22  ^bq, 29-30  ^br; 10:28  ^bs; 18:9  ^bt; Mark 9:43-47  ^bu; Luke 12:5  ^bv; Jas 3:6  ^bw; 2 Pet 2:4  ^bx).

‏ Psalms 141

Summary for Ps 141:1-10: Ps 141  ^by The psalmist prays for rescue and wisdom, and he envisions the end of evil. The principle of retribution (141:10  ^bz) unifies the psalm.
Summary for Ps 141:1-2: 141:1-2  ^ca The psalmist prays urgently for rescue. He does not have at hand either incense or an evening offering (Exod 29:38-39  ^cb), but his prayers and devotion are the reality that those elements represent (cp. Isa 1:13  ^cc; Rev 5:8  ^cd).

• Upraised hands are a posture of prayer (Pss 28:2  ^ce; 88:9  ^cf; 143:6  ^cg; Exod 9:29  ^ch; 1 Tim 2:8  ^ci).
Summary for Ps 141:3-5: 141:3-5  ^cj Wisdom sometimes requires protection from oneself. One could say or think things that lead to the evil path (Prov 13:3  ^ck; 21:23  ^cl).

• Wisdom opens itself to correction from godly people (see Prov 3:11  ^cm; 9:8  ^cn; 15:31  ^co; 19:25  ^cp).

‏ Psalms 142

Ps 142  ^cq The psalmist faces severe persecution, so he cries to the Lord, and the Lord will rescue him.
Summary for Ps 142:1-7: 142:1-7  ^cr regarding his experience in the cave: Cp. Ps 57:title  ^cs.
Summary for Ps 142:1-3: 142:1-3  ^ct Though overwhelmed by his persecutors (142:6  ^cu), the psalmist looks to the Lord for wisdom.

‏ Psalms 143

Summary for Ps 143:1-12: Ps 143  ^cv In this lament, the psalmist feels overwhelmed by constant harassment from his foes, so he turns to the Lord’s love, righteousness, and faithfulness. He remembers God’s acts in the past and yearns for the renewal of the Lord’s love. He opens himself to God’s wisdom because he knows that instruction will lead to life.
Summary for Ps 143:1-2: 143:1-2  ^cw The psalmist prays for God’s love and mercy.
143:2  ^cx All people are guilty before God (Rom 3:20-24  ^cy).
Summary for Ps 143:3-4: 143:3-4  ^cz I am losing all hope: The psalmist confesses his desperation as his life slips away under oppressive and ruthless foes.
Summary for Ps 143:5-6: 143:5-6  ^da Remembering God’s acts from the past reassures the psalmist of God’s faithfulness (42:4  ^db; 63:6  ^dc; 77:3  ^dd, 6  ^de; 119:55  ^df).
143:6  ^dg The psalmist’s thirst is a deep longing for God’s redemption (see 42:1-2  ^dh).
Summary for Ps 143:7-10: 143:7-10  ^di The psalmist petitions the Lord for a renewal of his love. 143:7  ^dj The psalmist experiences depression. He feels that he is dying from anguish (31:10  ^dk; 119:87  ^dl), exhausted (39:10  ^dm; 71:9  ^dn; 119:81  ^do), fainting with longing (84:2  ^dp), and overwhelmed by the weariness of life (90:7  ^dq, 9  ^dr).
Summary for Ps 143:8-10: 143:8-10  ^ds The psalmist prays for wisdom (see 5:8  ^dt; 25:4-6  ^du; 138  ^dv; 143:10  ^dw).

• your gracious Spirit: The Spirit brings God’s goodness (see 23:6  ^dx).
143:11  ^dy To preserve means in this case to restore from despair (80:19  ^dz; 85:6  ^ea; 138:7  ^eb).
143:12  ^ec A prayer for vindication and renewal of life concludes the psalm.

‏ Psalms 144

Summary for Ps 144:1-15: Ps 144  ^ed This lament begins with an exclamation of love for the Lord. The community then reflects on the transitory nature of life (144:3-4  ^ee). The psalmist prays for divine intervention and anticipates victory (144:5-11  ^ef). A new song (144:9-10  ^eg) and a prayer for rescue (144:11  ^eh) open up the theme of the Lord’s blessing through his provisions and protection (144:12-15  ^ei).
Summary for Ps 144:1-2: 144:1-2  ^ej The psalmist’s descriptive names for the Lord reveal his deep love for him.
Summary for Ps 144:3-4: 144:3-4  ^ek what are human beings? The same question in 8:4-6  ^el elicits the answer that humans are mere mortals but are also glorious rulers. The psalmist depicts humans as having a transitory, empty existence (see 90:3  ^em, 7-10  ^en; 102:11  ^eo; 109:23  ^ep; 146:4  ^eq).
Summary for Ps 144:5-8: 144:5-8  ^er The psalmist prays for God’s intervention against his enemies (cp. 18:7-19  ^es).
Summary for Ps 144:12-15: 144:12-15  ^et This prayer for the Lord’s blessing brings the laments of Pss 140–144  ^eu to a close. It offers a vision of God’s provision and protection (see Ps 127  ^ev), not only for the psalmist, but for his descendants and those of all the godly. 144:12  ^ew The psalmist compares sons and daughters to plants and pillars, which are images of strength and beauty.
Summary for Ps 144:13-14: 144:13-14  ^ex no enemy ... no cries of alarm: These images depict peace and security.

‏ Psalms 145

Summary for Ps 145:1-21: Ps 145  ^ey This hymn of praise is the last in this collection of the psalms of David (Pss 138–145  ^ez). Praise continues in the last five psalms (Pss 146–150  ^fa). This psalm celebrates the Lord as King of all (145:1-3  ^fb, 10-13  ^fc). God’s actions reveal his royal qualities (145:4-7  ^fd). He cares for all creatures (145:14-17  ^fe) and for those who fear him (145:18-20  ^ff).
Summary for Ps 145:1-3: 145:1-3  ^fg The psalmist praises God, the Great King who reigns over all other rulers (see 47:2  ^fh).
Summary for Ps 145:4-7: 145:4-7  ^fi This litany praises God’s character and mighty deeds. Each generation will continue to testify to God’s power (22:30  ^fj).
Summary for Ps 145:8-9: 145:8-9  ^fk God consistently demonstrates his character toward all his creation (see 136:25  ^fl).
Summary for Ps 145:10-13: 145:10-13  ^fm These verses form a description of the Lord’s kingdom.
Summary for Ps 145:14-20: 145:14-20  ^fn The Lord cares for his creatures.
145:20  ^fo The Lord cares for those who love him and fear him. God-fearers love the Lord and find refuge in him (5:11  ^fp); they seek him as their only true Savior (40:16  ^fq; 70:4  ^fr). They will experience a grand future (69:36  ^fs), as well as God’s peace (119:165  ^ft).